a/n: accept my offerings...poorly written but still offering. this is just a lil imagine/blurb of a longer idea i've been working on since i finished ride or die.
CW: SPOILERS! injuries + mentions of blood.
summary: ten years later and the cabin still stands. and so does it's bossy owner.
Jumping from moving trains was becoming easier for Debbie. It wasnât something she ever anticipated being a skill sheâd develop but she was sort of mastering the art of safely rolling to oneâs death.
âIf I had a nickel for every time I had to jump from a moving mode of transport,â she groaned and rolled to her knees. âIâd have three and theyâd all be your fault.â
She was the first to her feet, which had never been the case with Judith. And when the taller womanâs only response was a strained chuckle, Debbie knew something was off. Judith, in all her disguised glory, was clutching her thigh and trying diligently to rise to her feet without help.
âWhose blood is that?â Debbie asked pulling her to her feet as best she could. âIs that your blood? Are you bleeding right now?â
âYes, Deb. That ninny with the knitting needles got me while you were hosing down the train car attendant with the fire extinguisher.â Judith only allowed herself one pained look at the wound before looking out to where theyâd landed.
âWell what are we gonna do? We have no idea who those people even were and now youâre bleeding all over the place. And weâre in the middle of nowhere.â Debbie rambled, arms waving around the darkening sky.
To anyone else itâd look like absolutely nothing. Theyâd tumbled over the bramble-covered railway right out of view of the train cars. But to Judith the brush was familiar. And one look toward the thick woodland had her feeling just a bit more hopeful than she had been when they jumped.
âWe need to get to the other side of this ridge. Thereâs a cabinâŠâ
âA safe house from the agency? Is that safe for us? Itâs not like you left that gig on the best of termsâŠâ Debbie questioned, but pulled Judithâs arm over her shoulder and headed down the hill anyway.
âNo, no, no. No agency connection. I havenât been there in years, but we can at least figure out what to do and who the fuck they were.â
âA random cabin that has no affiliation to your assassin life? Judith, thatâs somehow even more concerning. How far are we going? Are you gonna be able to make it like this?â
Judith knew Debbieâs questions were rational and in the spirit of honesty she actually paused to assess everything. She was bleeding far more than sheâd like and if she remembered correctly they still had a ways to go before they even caught sight of the little cabin. But night was falling and they needed coverage.
âIâll be fine. We just need to get going. The markersâll be harder to see in the dark.â
The cabin was dark. No lights. It almost looked uninhabited. The wood was weathered, the grass ran high and the porch swing creaked in the wind just enough to make even Judith jump a bit. Itâd been years, but the place still stood.
Judith stopped just at the porch steps and leaned against the railing. With her splitting her weight between her uninjured leg and the rail, Debbie rolled her shoulders out with a heavy sigh.
âThank god, thatâs over.â Debbie climbed the stairs, eyes fanning over the rocking chairs and dead plants. She got up to the door and paused momentarily, realizing Judith hadnât followed her up. âWhatâs the matter? Arenât you gonna bust us in there? My feet are killing me!â
Judith had every intention of âbusting them in thereâ as Debbie so eloquently put it. But the weight of returning to this cabin seemed to be having a stronger impact on her than she thought it would. Itâd easily been ten years since sheâd even been on this side of Europe and her body still shuddered under the memory of the days spent here.
âYeah, Iâm coming.â Judith spoke, forcing her mind back to the here and now. But just as Judith hobbled onto the porch, the door creaked open and a woman stood in its place. Debbie, for all her exhaustion, jumped about two feet in the air and scrambled to stand behind Judith.
âMust you always show up bleeding on my porch?â The woman deadpanned as her eyes swept over Judith.
Judithâs cheeks reddened under the attention and she dropped her gaze to the steady stream of blood falling to the damp wood. âIt wasnât my intentionâŠâ
âRight. Inside.â The woman turned leaving them both on the porch. Debbie felt the tension leave Judithâs body and her interest was instantly peaked. Judith released the railing and started making her way over the threshold. This was apparently someone Judith trusted and listened to.
âWait wait wait, weâre just gonna follow her inside?â Debbie asked suspiciously. Sure Judith was shedding the whole assassin-hood but surely that didnât mean sheâd just start following women into their secluded cabins while bleeding. âJudith who is this woman? Sheâs wearing slippers and a fuzzy robe. I donât think we should assume safety just because she looks approachable. This could all be a trap. A cozy-murder-mystery-esque trap conjured up by whoever that knitting nana works for.â
Judith leveled Debbie with one raised eyebrow, âWould you rather sleep in the forest tonight with nothing but bears and trees to keep you warm?â At Debbieâs silence, Judith limped over the threshold pulling her friend right along with her. Judith pushed the door shut behind them and leaned against the wood with a deep sigh. Before Debbie could get too far, Judith reached for her wrist and pointed toward her feet. âRemove your shoes.â
Debbie gawked at her and looked around the hallway, âAre there trip wires and lasers?â
âWhat? No. She just doesnât like anyone tracking dirt in.â Judith very carefully kicked her shoes off and almost instinctively pushed them into the open space next to a pair of red rain boots.
Despite the outside looking dilapidated, the inside of the cabin screamed cozy warmth. The walls were lined in log paneling and tall bookshelves. Blankets and pillows piled high on the couch. Antique lamps tucked in every corner. And an electric fireplace warmed the room. The definition of cozy cabin.
Judith led the way through the hall, Debbieâs eyes flew from wall to wall trying to catalog every crevice of the place and paused in the doorway of the kitchen. All their squabbling had given the slipper-clad mystery woman plenty of time to line the kitchen island with all the contents of a first aid kit. She turned on her heels with a pleased smile and pointed toward both of their feet, âYou remembered. Thanks.â Judith flushed under the attention and shrugged in response. The woman pulled on a pair of gloves and nudged the closest stool toward Judith in a silent familiar order. And to Debbieâs never-ending surprise, Judith sat and rolled the hem of her dress up with no argument. No mumbled excuses, no glares, not even resignation. And when the woman softly grabbed at her knee to adjust her, Judith shuddered and settled against the counter.
Debbie watched in awe as the woman began to clean and inspect the wound. The woman hadnât so much as looked at her since theyâd arrived and she couldnât tell whether that was good or bad. She didnât know the womanâs name, had no clue where they were, and had the sneaking suspicion that if she opened a drawer itâd be stacked with weapons. But Judith had said, she wasnât a part of the agency. Said this was a safe place for them to stay, temporarily. What Judith hadnât mentioned is that she and this woman obviously had history. They hadnât taken their eyes off each other since the porch. Judith was doing literally whatever the woman asked. And this was the first time sheâd seen Judith truly relax in anyone other than her own presence.
The woman mustâve sensed Debbie hovering and finally looked at her over her shoulder. âIâm sorryâ feel free to get comfortable. This shouldnât take long.â
Debbie smiled politely and bowed her head awkwardly, âThank you, Iâm Debbie by the way.â The woman nodded in greeting and turned to focus on Judithâs injury again but Debbie spoke again. âAnd you are?â
Judith lifted her head to glare at Debbie briefly, âDeb, go sit down.â
Debbie raised her hands in innocence, âWhat? Iâm just introducing myself to our host.â
Judith moved to argue, but the woman standing over her softly pushed her head back in its resting position. âIâm Y/n. Nice to meet you Debbie. Help yourself to anything.â And then she was back to working over Judithâs skin.
As soon as Y/nâs back was turned to Debbie she allowed her jaw to fully drop trying diligently to meet Judithâs eyes around the woman. But Judith was too busy watching Y/n work. Resigning to being shocked and confused on her own, Debbie wandered into the living room and flops on a couch with a sigh.
Once alone, Judith cleared her throat and spoke, âThank you.â It was all she could think to say. She pulled her eyes away from Y/nâs hands to her eyes and tried to convey literally anything going through her head. Which admittedly wasnât much.
Y/n smiled softly and met Judithâs eyes briefly. âYou know you donât have to thank me, Jude.â Judith smiled at the nickname and ducked her head again. âGlad you finally decided to pay me a visit.â
âWell it wasnât exactly planned.â
âWell Iâd hope you didnât travel all this way just to have me patch you up. Where were you headed?â Y/n asked shuffling through the bandages on the counter.
âCambodia. An island you canât see or something.â
Judithâs smile fell into something sadder, Billyâs face flashing behind her eyes. âYeah. Just me now.â Y/n watched the shift closely and recognized that pain almost immediately. Thereâd been someone and a plan but they were gone, maybe forever. She smoothed a bandage across the length of Judithâs thigh and patted the bare skin in comfort.
âWell, sometimes thatâs when you learn the most.â Y/n took a step back to admire her work and lowered Judithâs leg carefully. âAll done. Go sit and Iâll bring you both something to eat on before bed.â
âThat wonât be necessary-â Judith automatically rebuffed but it was no use now the same way it had been no use ten years ago. âRight.â
When Judith flopped onto the couch next to Debbie she made it a point not to meet her eyes. Even when Debbie leaned over to get into her line of sight. âStop that.â
âYou stop that. What in the Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is going on here? Brian couldnât even keep you that still and you were barely conscious for that. Who is this woman?â
Judith looked over the back of the couch, eyes trained on Y/n as she pulled leftovers from the fridge. She didnât really know how to describe her. Who was Y/n to her really? In the last ten years, sheâd been a memory. Sometimes a dream. A person Judith wished to return to only in her quietest hours. Sheâd been a complete stranger. The kindest stranger. A pillar of goodness in Judithâs eyes. âSheâs good.â
Debbie leaned back against the couch thoughtfully. She knew there was far more to this story than she was ready to give. âRight. Good.â
Dana Evans x Melissa Schemmenti x Reader
Warnings: fluff city, hinted smut, coffee because I love a good cafe...sue me lol
WC: 2.6k
Authors Note: this was supposed to be long but I decided to break the chapter up, fluffy parts here, smutty/fluff coming more next chapter lol. Anyway, forehead kisses for you all! I love you all and enjoy! <3
Melissa stood in front of the mirror in your bedroom, one earring in and the other still pinched between her fingers, scowling at her reflection like it had personally offended her.
âIf either of you touches me again,â she warned, âI am going to be late and it will be entirely your fault.â
You were sitting on the edge of the bed behind her, already dressed, watching the way the soft green top sheâd chosen clung to her.Â
Dana leaned against the doorframe in an old T-shirt and leggings, coffee in hand, looking far too pleased with herself.
âWeâre not touching you,â Dana said innocently.
Melissa shot her a look in the mirror. âYou just fixed my bra strap for the third time.â
âIt was twisted.â
âIt was fine.â
You stood and stepped up behind her, hands settling at her waist. âYou look good.â
âDonât start.â
You kissed the side of her neck anyway, soft and lingering. Melissaâs eyes fluttered for half a second before she steeled herself.
âI mean it. We have reservations.â
Dana set her coffee down and crossed the room.Â
She reached around both of you to smooth an invisible wrinkle on Melissaâs top, palms deliberately brushing the sides of her breasts as she did.
Melissa made a low, frustrated sound.
âYou two are the worst.â
âYou love it,â you murmured against her skin, letting your hands slide a little lower over her hips.
âI love the idea of not being late.â But her body leaned back into yours for a second anyway, traitorous and warm. âDana, control your girlfriend.â
Dana smiled, slow and wicked. âShe belongs to you now too. Shared custody.â
Melissa pointed at both of you in the mirror. âI am going to walk out that door in two minutes. Fully dressed. And the two of you are going to behave while Iâm gone.â
You and Dana exchanged a look over her shoulder.
âNo promises,â you said.
Danaâs hands settled over yours at Melissaâs hips, trapping her gently between the two of you. You felt her breath hitch. She was already getting warm, already restless under the attention, and both of you knew it.
You slid one hand higher under her top, palm gliding over her soft tummy. Danaâs fingers dipped beneath the waistband of her pants at the same time.Â
Melissaâs head tipped back against your shoulder with a soft, frustrated sound as the two of you worked her in easy, coordinated touchesâyour mouth on the side of her neck, Danaâs fingers teasing lower, the heat between the three of you spiking fast.
âYouâre going to be thinking about this all through the date,â Dana murmured against her ear. âArenât you?â
Melissaâs eyes fluttered. For a second she leaned into it, hips shifting toward Danaâs hand, a low noise catching in her throat. Then she steeled herself, caught both of your wrists, and pulled them away with visible effort.
âOkayâstop.â Her voice was rough. âWe need to go. Reservations. Daylight. I am not showing up to lunch looking like I just got fucked.â
You laughed against her neck, still reluctant to let go. âTechnically we havenâtââ
âYet,â Dana finished, amused.
Melissa pointed at both of you, flushed and determined. âDoc. Coat. Now. Dana, your daughters are going to be here any minute. Behave.â
You finally stepped back, hands raised in surrender, though you were still grinning.Â
Dana gave Melissa one last lingering kiss at the doorâdeep enough to almost break her resolve againâbefore letting her go.
âHave fun,â Dana said, eyes warm. âBoth of you.â
Melissa shot her a look that promised payback later, then grabbed your hand and tugged you toward the door before either of you could start something else.
âCome on. Before I change my mind.â
You followed her out, still laughing, the heat trailing after you both as the door closed and left Dana alone in the quiet apartment, waiting for her daughters.
Your thumb brushed over her knuckles. She didnât pull away. She even shifted closer so your knees touched under the table.
âLook at you,â you teased softly. âLetting me hold your hand in public.â
Melissa rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth lifted. âDonât make it weird.â
âI call it how I see it.â
She huffed a laugh and left her hand right where it was.
Brunch was easy. You ordered too much food and stole bites off each otherâs plates.Â
Melissa gave you shit about the amount of syrup you put on your pancakes; you gave her shit about the way she still cut her fruit into precise little pieces like she was prepping it for second-graders.Â
Every so often your fingers stayed linked across the table longer than necessary. Once, when the waiter walked away, you lifted her hand and kissed the back of it just to watch her ears go pink.
It was the first time since Friday the two of you had been out of the apartment and in the world together, and Melissa was letting you treat her like a girlfriend even though neither of you had said the word yet.Â
She leaned into your side when you showed her something on your phone. She let you tuck a curl behind her ear when it fell forward. She smiled at you like the whole thing felt natural, because it did.
After the plates were cleared you kept her hand and asked, quieter,
âHow are you feeling about all of this? Us. The three of us.â
Melissa was quiet for a moment, turning her coffee cup with her free hand. When she spoke, her voice was honest in that blunt way she had.
âIâm happy.â She glanced up at you. âThings feel⊠right. Weirdly right. Iâm having funââ her mouth twitched ââand the number of orgasms in the last few days is frankly concerning for my cardiovascular health. But more than that⊠Iâm glad Danaâs in my life again. I missed her. A lot more than I ever let myself admit. And Iâm glad someone was loving her the way she deserved while I was gone. That matters to me.â
You squeezed her hand.
âHave you ever been in a relationship with more than one person before?â you asked.
Melissaâs eyebrows rose, then she gave a short, dry laugh.
âYeah. Once. For about a week.â She shook her head. âJoe decided it would be âsomething to try.â He had no idea what he was doing. I wasnât even into the other woman. It was awkward as hell, lasted five days, and then he just cheated with her anyway like that made it simpler.â She met your eyes. âThis doesnât feel like that. At all.â
âIt isnât,â you said, steady. âThis is different.â
Melissaâs thumb brushed over yours. She didnât look away.
âYeah,â she said quietly. âIâm starting to get that.â
You kept hold of Melissaâs hand across the table, thumb moving slowly over her knuckles.
âIâm glad youâre here,â you said.
Melissaâs expression softened.
âThis got big fast. I know that.â You gave her hand a small squeeze. âBut you donât owe me an answer about any of it right now. I like you. A lot. Iâm happy just being here with you.â
Melissa looked down at your joined hands.
You smiled remembering the past. âWhich is saying something, because Iâm terrible at taking things slow. Dana and I werenât exactly the poster children for patience eitherâwe moved pretty fast once we finally stopped pretending we werenât interested.â
That got a quiet laugh from her.
âBut I can for you.â
Her fingers tightened around yours.
âYou always this sweet when nobodyâs bleeding?â
âAbsolutely not. I have a reputation.â
Melissaâs mouth curved. âSure you do, Doc.â
You laughed.
Then she went quieter.
âI donât really know what Iâm ready for yet.â
âYou donât have to.â
Melissa looked back at you.
âWeâre not going anywhere,â you said. âWe can just keep doing this.â
Outside, the day had warmed. You started toward the park a few blocks away without discussing it, still close enough that your arms brushed every few steps.
At the first corner, Melissa reached for your hand.
You looked down.
She immediately tightened her grip.
âDonât.â
âI didnât say anything.â
âYou were about to.â
You smiled and threaded your fingers more securely through hers.
Melissa kept walking.
The park was busy without being crowded. Families had taken over the grass, kids circling the paths on scooters while dogs strained at leashes toward every squirrel unfortunate enough to exist.
You and Melissa wandered without much direction.
That was unusual for you.
Normally walking meant getting somewhere. Even your park walks with Trinity tended to involve processing a shift, solving a problem, turning something over until it made sense.
With Melissa, there wasnât anything you needed to accomplish.
You simply walked.
Her hand stayed in yours.
Every so often she bumped her shoulder into you when you said something stupid. You returned it. Once, she pulled you closer to avoid a runner coming too fast around the path and never quite gave the space back.
You liked that.
You liked a lot of things about her.
More of them seemed to appear every day.
A little girl dropped a stuffed rabbit ahead of you without noticing.
You bent, scooped it up, and jogged the few steps after her.
âHey, sweetheart.â
The girl turned.
You crouched and held it out. âThink somebody tried to escape.â
Her whole face lit up.
She hugged the rabbit to her chest before running back toward her mother.
When you straightened, Melissa was waiting with her arms crossed and a smile glowing on her face.
âWhat?â
Melissa fell into step beside you. âYou do that everywhere?â
âReturn fugitive rabbits?â
âTake care of everybody.â
You thought about it.
âNot everybody.â
Melissa gave you a look that suggested she had evidence to the contrary.
âOccupational habit,â you glanced at her. She had already learned that much about youâapparently more than you realized.
Melissa laughed, catching your arm as the sound pulled her closer.
There it wasâthe laugh you were beginning to recognize, the one where she forgot to hold anything back. You loved making it happen. The thought arrived so naturally you almost missed it.
You looked at her. Melissa was still smiling. Your chest tightened. You kept walking.
A few minutes later you found an empty bench beneath a tree. Melissa sat first. You dropped down beside her, close enough that your thighs touched. For once you didnât feel the instinct to get back up.
Melissa stretched one arm along the back of the bench behind you.
âYou tired?â
âNo.â
She waited.
You sighed. âA little.â
âYou need to rest more.â
âDonât ruin the date.â
Melissa smiled. You leaned back and her arm settled across your shoulders, bringing you against her side.Â
You let yourself stay there. That was still something you were learningânot merely how to stop, but how to let someone else make stopping feel worthwhile.
Melissaâs fingers played absently with the fabric at your shoulder.
âYou know,â she said, âfor somebody who spent half of brunch telling me thereâs no pressure, youâre awfully comfortable over here.â
You tilted your head against her. âYou want me to move?â
Her arm tightened. âNo.â
âThought so, gorgeous.â
âCocky.â
âYou like me cocky.â
Melissa went quiet just long enough to make you smile.
âSometimes.â
Your Texas slipped around the word before you could stop it.
âSometimes?â
Melissa turned toward you immediately. âThere it is.â
You groaned. âLeave my accent alone.â
âI like it.â
That shut you up. Melissa seemed pleased by the achievement.
âYou like embarrassing me.â
âThat too.â
You lifted your head. She was closeânot almost-kiss close, not yet, but close enough that you could see the amusement still sitting at the corners of her mouth.
âYou know what I like?â you asked.
Melissaâs eyebrows lifted.
You reached up and touched one of her curls. âThis.â
Her expression softened. Your fingers followed the curl down until it slipped from your hand.
âAnd this.â You touched the little line beside her mouth where her smile lived.
Melissa caught your wrist. For a second you thought she might make another joke. Instead she turned her face and kissed the inside of your palmâsoft, brief. It went straight through you.
You stared at her. Melissa smiled against your hand.
âLost your mouth, Doc?â
âTemporarily.â
âNice while it lasted.â
You laughed and leaned in.
The kiss was easy. Nothing like the first one on her couch, when weeks of wanting had finally broken loose.Â
This one didnât have to prove anything. Your hand settled at the side of her neck. Melissaâs fingers curled around your forearm. You kissed her once, then again because neither of you moved away.
When you separated, her nose brushed yours. Neither of you seemed particularly concerned that you were sitting in the middle of a park. That struck you.Â
Melissa must have felt something similar because her gaze wandered briefly toward the path before coming back to you. You didnât release her.Â
Neither did she.
âYou okay?â you asked.
Melissa nodded. Then, after a moment, âYeah. I think I am.â
You kissed her cheek. Melissa leaned into it.
The two of you sat there for a while after that, watching people pass.Â
Your head eventually returned to her shoulder. Melissaâs thumb moved over the back of your hand. Nothing needed fixing. Nothing needed deciding.
When your phone buzzed in your pocket, neither of you moved for it immediately. The second buzz finally made Melissa nudge you.
âThat better not be the hospital,â Melissa said.
âIf it is, Iâm throwing it in the pond,â you groaned.
You pulled the phone out.
Dana: Howâs the date?
You angled the screen toward Melissa. Her mouth curved.
You: Terrible.
Melissa took the phone from your hand.
Melissa: Sheâs exhausted. Iâm returning her.
A response appeared almost immediately.
Dana: Keep her.
You stared at the screen. Melissa laughed.
You: Wow.
Dana: I have peace and quiet for the first time in years.
Melissa handed the phone back. âSmart woman.â
You slipped it into your pocket. âYou both think youâre very funny.â
Melissaâs arm returned around your shoulders. âWe are.â
You looked up at her. âYou know whatâs annoying?â
âLot of options.â
âHow much I like you.â
The joke left Melissaâs face. Not completely. Enough. Her hand came up and touched your cheek.
âYeah?â
You nodded. âYeah.â
Melissa studied you for a moment, then leaned down and kissed youâslower this time. Her thumb rested against your cheekbone while your hand found her waist. When she pulled back she stayed close.
âI like you too, Doc.â
Simple. No qualification.
You smiled. Melissa kissed you again before you could ruin it with a joke. So you let her.
And for once, sitting still didnât feel like wasting time.
âHey Trinity! Iâm not sure if you saved my number, but this is Mel from work. I had a lot of fun the other night at karaoke, thank you so much for inviting me! I was wondering if you would like to hang out again sometime? I think you and I both have the next few days off, and my sister Becca is spending the weekend with her boyfriend. No worries if youâre busy! I know this is pretty sudden haha. Just let me know, and have a good weekend đâ
â@ drag brunch pull thruâ *Trinity Santos shared her location*